@This is the
corpus of Songhay (Zarma) language which I recorded in the rural area of
western Niger from 2004 to 2007, transcribed by the official orthography (Arrêté N02152/MEN/SPCNRE du 19 Octobre 1999
fixant l'orthographe de la langue SONAY-ZARMA,) and translated into English
and Japanese.

Two dumis are living together in this
settlement [Saaba] that you are looking at. People in these dumis have their
children marry each other, who then have their own children, so they are
relatives. You see? Itfs Gornyo [haamey] and Urufa [borey]. They coexist. Hmm.
From our Gornyofs perspective, itfs always been true that if the fatherfs side
did not come from Urufa, the motherfs side came from Urufa. Thatfs how we do
it. Hmm.

This is because their female ancestor, Urufafs female ancestor, is
Gornyo. Hmm. They left Gornyo to establish this Urufa Boro. You see? Now, that
makes us male descendants and female descendants. Itfs our ancestors who
started this system. There is no descendant of Urufafs who doesnft have Gornyo
haamey as their female ancestors. Hmm. Thatfs because they [the female
ancestors] are Zara Gornyo and Tikkan Gornyo, who are Gornyofs children.
Gornyofs descendants are over here, and Urufafs descendants are over there.
Zara went to Urufa to have children. Then the one who became Zarafs spouse and
had many children with her was Almokhtar. Now, our root is here, and we,
Begumfs descendants, are here. Thatfs how it is. But we are all descendants of
a common ancestor. Hmm. If the mother did not come from Urufa, the father did.
Or from their perspective, if the mother did not come from Urufa . . . Gornyo,
the father came from Gornyo. Thatfs how we are all mixed now. Hmm. You came to
see how we do it. This is how we do it. We are all descendants of a common
ancestor. Thatfs right. But we live separately. Hmm. Thatfs how we do it. You
understand?

Wallahi. The people of Dessa came, our people came, we came first.
Our ancestor came when the people of Dessa came, and our people came. People of
Tomare came. People of all three villages [came around the same time]. No one
had come to this land [before the settlement of these three villages]. Right.

Because whites gave control to Dessa, people of the other two
villages got angry. People of Tomare got angry at the fact that Dessa has
gained control over them, at the fact that that Dessa had gained the authority
to control people. They felt pain for this fact.

As for our ancestor, the whites . . . the whites were brought here
by Isa Begumfs maternal nephew. The whites came here, spent the morning and the
afternoon, and told our ancestor, who was on the island, to come. His [Isa
Begumfs] maternal nephew was from Fombita, and his name was Ali, Ali Kara. He
brought the whites in Bandiagara here. You got that? He brought them here.
People said, eHey, you will get killed if you go there. Donft go.f The nephew
was with the whites and said, eYoufre definitely(Wallahi) not going to get killed. I would not bring someone
who would kill people. Just come over here and ally with whites.f They [the
people] said to him [Isa Begum], eDonft go. You will get killed if you do.f

You see? The whites didnft do anything to them except telling them
to go over there, and the nephew tried to help, too. But at this time, he [Isa
Begum] was afraid to go. eYou will get killed.f The nephew was safe, but he
[Isa Begum] didnft go. They [whites], too, figured he [Isa Begum] would not
move, so they tried to force him to go there. They said, eHere is sugar,f
although the people didnft know what sugar was. They said, eGo over there and
give some to everyone.f They then said, eGo ahead and lick it.f They [the
people around Isa Begum] did not comply. They said to him [Isa Begum], eYou
must not go. All right? They are red men.f They have something thin and long in
their hands.f But they didnft know what it was. At this point, he [Isa Begum]
started to fear.

They [whites] tried to threaten them for not going over there. The
people heard the crack of a gun. I bet you they did not know what a gun was.
One after another, people fell into the river and drifted far away. In spite of
that, some of them managed to come back to the Fuliyande Island. But some of
them drowned in this river. They [those who survived] came back to the
Fuliyande Island.

The whites tied huge Sesbania[2]
together like this, put a gun on top of it, and swam as they pushed it. They
swam as they pushed it and reached the shore of the Fuliyande Island. As they
were getting settled, [people] saw them and said, eYou guys, they are here,
they are here.f [laughing,] People hastily jumped into the river on the side of
the Korgoungou Island and climbed onto the island. They [whites] said to them,
eCome back. We just want to ally with you. We are not here to kill you. If we
were, we would have slaughtered every single one of you already, and not even a
chicken would be alive.f They [the people] were afraid. They swam off to the
east bank. Some of them ended up drowning in the river.

This incident gave them [the whites] pain.
They went off for another search. Then on a road next to a caasarme [a
settlement], they sent a messenger to the ancestors of people of Dessa, saying
eIs Issoufi Zibo here?f They said, eWallahi, yes, hefs here.f They [the whites]
told Issoufi Zibo to come. What he [Issoufi] did was he just put some slaves on
a boat [to send over in place of him]. They went. Then the whites allied with
them, settled a deal, and gave them paper. People in those days, however, had
no idea that this person would eventually gain power. They [the whites] said to
make sure to hold on to it [the paper], and set out for Tomare.

They went to Tomare and did the same thing with the people of
Tomare. They made an alliance there. They then moved onto Doulous. After they
went there, they came back. This time, the people [people of Tomare] came as
well. Once they came, the whites talked to them. They [the whites] said, eWe
have given something to the people of Dessa. Whatfs done is done, but it should
never be repeated to the people of Tomare. Absolutely(Wallahi) not.f

Now,
they [the whites] settled in Doulous. Doulous is a big island in the middle of
the Niger River. They settled there, walked around, and finally announced that
they would appoint a headman for the villages. Wanting the status of a headman,
people started gathering. They thought they would be able to get that status.
The people of Tomare wanted it, but they didnft get it. As for our ancestor
here, they [the whites] told him to come over. He [Isa Begum] got scared when
told he would die if he went to them [the whites], so he didnft go. Once people
have gathered, they, the paper . . . them, the paper . . . They [the whites]
said to Issoufi Zibo, eWhere [is the paper]?f Issoufi took out paper and handed
it to them. They [the whites] said, eAll right. Good. We will make this person
the headman.f

Then
our ancestors said, eHe shouldnft become the headman.f They panicked, rushed to
the scene, and said, eAbsolutely not. Issoufi should not be the one.f The
whites said, eItfs not negotiable.f eIt is Godfs will. So if you donft let it
happen, we will kill you.f Hmm. [Isa Begumfs] maternal nephew said to him, eYou
see? This is why I told you to come that day. But you wouldnft because somebody
said you would die if you did. Now they [whites] have gone everywhere, and
became fond of this guy [Issoufi] they met in Dessa. When they [the whites]
showed up, they [Issoufi and his people] went to them [the whites]. The paper
was given to them [Issoufi and his people]. Now that the paper has been given
to them, there is no way to get it back and give it to someone else. You go
home and be happy. Let Dessa rule.f Yeah. Thatfs how it was done. Whitesc, once
theyfve signed a paper, they never break it nor erase it. Hmm. You, perhaps
too, wouldnft agree to erase a [the content of a] memo.

Thatfs not what he meant. If some people told you everything they
knew and finished telling you the whole story. Then you come back to the
Fuliyande settlement, and somebody who happens to see you—somebody who knows
nothing about what has been said— said, eErase what you wrote. Just ignore it,f
would you agree?

Hmm. So thatfs the story. They [the whites] did not agree
[inaudible], either, not to let them [the people of Dessa] rule us. Our village
is still feeling pain because of this, and so are the people of Tomare. You
know, regarding the fact that the people of Dessa remain in power. Hmm.

Our ancestors died with the pain that Dessa has become our chief and
came to control us. The people of Tomare died with the pain. Our ancestors died
with the pain. Hmm. This is because we all consider ourselves superior to those
who rule us. Hmm. They [the people of Dessa] came to rule us as our chief, but
the people of Tomare think they absolutely(Wallahi) cannot be trusted. We donft trust who came to rule
us, Issoufi Zibo, at all either. We think the fact that he has become the
center [is unacceptable]. As for whites, they only like those who give them
livestock.

Now, let me talk about what you want to know. During Diorifs reign,
a soldier named Seyni Kountche gained power. After gaining power, he said, eIf
you want to live under Tilabeerifs rule, do so. If you want to live under
Terafs rule, do so. Build a house wherever you want to live. And follow a chief
that you choose to follow, resister your residency, and pay taxes. Therefs no
problem with that. If you own a field on the island, count your harvest under
the chief there. If you donft see eye to eye with the chief there, it cannot be
done. Those who live on the island, if you donft live on the west bank, even if
you own a field there, count the harvest under Terafs people. People of Tera
cannot stop you from cultivating land there. Do as you wish. If you think itfs
too small here, go ahead and move somewhere else. Let me explain. If you came
down to Fuliyande and heard that [Kountche's words], you stop counting here and
instead resister your residency under the chief of Looga. You tell that to the
people of Loogafs chief.

As for Saaba [why it should be Loga and not Saaba], Saaba does not
have a chief. It only happened recently. A dispute broke out at farmland there,
in which we came to understand each other, reached an agreement, and started
living side by side. We said, eLetfs go back to the island.f Those who wanted
to stay on the west bank concurred and said that they would move to the island
and resister their residency there. We also said, eAll right. If you are going
to count the harvest on the island, we will also . . . we will cooperate with
you over the farmland issue as well.f

Thatfs how we came together. But when the time came, the guys who
had been counting the harvest in Tera, in other words, our family, left us, got
together among themselves, and said, eHey, we are not going to count the
harvest on the island. We are going to count the harvest in Tera.f We, we said
to us, I mean, to them, eThatfs not what wefve agreed on. You said you are in
with us. You said, eLetfs join hands once we remove the delegates.ff The
delegates did not concur [on that matter after all], but between you and me,
so-and-so was the head among them.

So-and-so. Thatfs right. Now, we fought like that and settled. But
when we were about to move, they said to us, who were in Tilabeeri, eWe should
register our residency in the district of Tera.f We said, eWe are not going to
leave Tilabeeri. We are not going to leave Gaarokoyre and count the harvest in
Tera.f We donft do such a thing. But those who decided not to count the harvest
in Fuliyande and left, their ancestors simply came here on foot.

Right. They just came. They just came where we had been and met our
ancestors. All right? People liked other people in those days. They and our
ancestors came together. eLand is everywhere. Live wherever you like. You donft
need to complain that itfs too hard.f Well, dissatisfaction gradually grew in
them. They went back to how they originally felt. We said, eWe are not going to
leave Fuliyande. We are going to die in Gaarokoyre. Our ancestor founded
Gaarokoyre. Those who came later all met him [the ancestor]. You? You just
leave it and run away because itfs too hot. But we are not going to leave here
until we die.f Hmm. But as for those who ran away, their ancestors came on
foot. They settled here. Our ancestors and their ancestors in the two dumis
married each other. You understand?

I see. But there is still something Ifm not sure about. So the
farmland, well, the people of Kokor . . . , I mean, Kountche, Kountche told
people on the west bank that those who are counting the harvest in Tilabeeri
but live in the west bank need to all move to the west bank, right? This is
during Kountchefs reign, correct?

Now, farmland was irrigated after that. The establishment of the irrigated
farmland happened only recently, and not a long time ago. Then after the
farmland was irrigated, a dispute broke out. After the dispute broke out, the
people on the west bank, I mean, Isbou and his people founded a village. Is
that right?

He said, eLive wherever you like.f He said that even if the chief
said not to go outside of the paper—for example, even if Loogafs chief didnft
approve—people should follow what they want. eMove wherever you like. Move and
live under a chief you approve.f

We made him the leader. We had the dispute. Now, when that was done,
he and his people [told us to] follow them and resister our residency on the
west bank. I.K. and others then tried to reach a consensus with us. They also
asked us what we wanted to do, but we said we would not leave our home. If we
are to decide on a chief, Gaarokoyre is our chief. We are not going to leave
Gaarokoyre to live in Kokor. Now, Isbou joined Tera, but we didnft. Then Isbou
and his people came and said we should make him the headman. Because of that,
Isbou recently* [inaudible] became the chief, but itfs been only four or two
years. Who else could you say founded the village if it wasnft me?

Right. We and our friends. The late K.S., whom you knew as well,
Sourey and his people, and B.A. Wait, B.A. wasnft there. But Sourey and his
people and we all fought together. Mahamadou was there, too. We had a lot of
people on our side in the dispute. For example, Sourey was our family in the
west bank, but we were the people of Tilabeeri. But the rest of them joined us
later. The guys in that house, Isbou and his guys belong to Tera. They have
their residency in Tera and pay taxes there. But we belong to Tilabeeri. If
anything is done under the name of Tera, we stay away. For example in Tera,
that name brings them all sorts of assistance.

You see? Thatfs how it is. [The chief of Saaba-Tera] makes
everything his own. But us, we Tilabeeri donft distinguish when we get things.
We donft say, eTera isnft going to get anything because theyfre not on our
paper, and theyfre only on their paper.f Yes, they left us and registered their
residency under the chief of Kokor, but they are our family. Right. They are
part of us, those who left, saying they didnft care if the village was to
disintegrate. [They left, saying they didnft care] even if our Gaarokoyre would
be lost because of their action. eCome, poor people. Come and have some
cowpeas. Find your family. Make him the leader. The chief is right here.f You
know, Isbou.

As for us, we were here in our village when the village
disintegrated. Our ancestor, only he came and started living here. Eventually
he obtained people, more people joined, and the village got bigger. People came
to get married, and they had children. We? We donft leave this village. But if
you want to leave, go ahead and leave. Thatfs how we do it. You understand?

We will stay in Tilabeeri even if Gaarokoyre was to disintegrate.
Our, our ancestors, they founded the village. All people came to the village
and joined them. So if our ancestors are the ones who founded the village, why
would we leave? But those who come later, [for example] you, leave when itfs
too hot. You leave for the chief status. Even if you stay here, you canft get
it. Got that?

We stay here in our village, the village that belongs to us. If the
current chief dies and if there is a way, you will seek the status. You see?
The person who is in the position [the chief of Saaba-Tera], the one you also
know, came to my house and we helped him. But now he is more powerful than the
rest of the family. Itfs Godfs will. God said to give the chief status in his
hands. Thatfs because my father, he is the elder brother of the father [of the
chief of Saaba-Tera]. You understand? Thatfs how the village works.

Right, Yuuni borey. They were originally there, in the village south
of Saakoyre. I forget the name. Their ancestors originally lived there. They
left there and came to our village. This is because they didnft have, they
didnft have land to work in. Yuuni borey moved to Fuliyande. Our very ancestors
gave them land, and because of that, they settled here. They went all the way
to Dessa Island. Dessa was controlling us at that time. He also told them [to
go] there, to move there. Bella said they would not actually settle there so we
should just leave them alone. Thatfs Gouraawa. They came here, settled, and
came to power these days. All right?

Minta
Kobaaba, Kobaabafs sister. His sister. Right. Abdu, Abdu Kobaabafs sister. They
are all Kobaabafs children. Minta Kobaaba, Abdu Kobaaba, and Soumair Kobaaba.
One of the descendants of this Soumair Kobaaba is M.M., the guy you are with.
You see?

They moved here. The rest [of those in the Gouraawa settlement] you
know are descedants of the nephew and the niece of this Abdu Kobaaba. Hmm. The
nephew and the niece. They are the male descendants. They came from Sayani.
They left Sayani and moved to Graawa. Sayani. Thatfs their village. They left
there, migrated, and came to our village. You see?

As
for Bonkajerey, whom you know are here, they came later all the way from
Gourouzgey. They left Gourouzgey, came here, and joined us. They joined our
village. Our ancestors let them live here. We and they started living together.
They came, married to our people, and now our dumis are mixed. You got that?

Mm.
They married our ancestors and had children. All right? Some of our ancestors
got married and had children as well. Now we and they, we are mixed. But if you
ask anyone about them, they will say they came later on foot. Do you
understand?

Right.
But this village of ours. About our Fu-, this Gaarokoyre. If you want answers
to your questions, go home, and if people ask you what village you stayed at,
[tell them] itfs this Gaarokoyre. Under the rule of whites, every place is
spelled out on paper. According to whites, Gaarokoyre is a village of Wogos
because there is another Gaarokoyre in France. They wouldnft erase that one.
You understand?

Hmm. In all the other villages, there is only a name of the one who
came to the village first. But in your home . . . You see? Some of those who
are here [in this village] are just here. It doesnft mean Wogos are prosperous.
This kind of secret conversation resolves issues. Hmm.

Right.
Listen. Thatfs how we do it. But you, you are our guest. When you came, you
didnft come to live here. You just came to visit the village. Sourey and other
guys, who are with you, were the only family of ours you knew. This is because
guests stay wherever they have been welcomed. Am I right?

Hmm.
I helped you realize that. But even if God made you healthy and even if you got
yourself a wife here, those guys wouldnft tell you what Ifve told you. They
will just say things. We and they are not together. This is because he [the
chief of Saaba-Tera], who has been chosen as the headman, distinguishes between
himself and his family, and others. His grandfather did not have the status of
chief. His father did not have the status of chief either. He received the
status of chief. That dumi could not get the status of chief. They were under
our family. But it came today [they received the status of chief]. It happened
only recently. Itfs been less than five years since he became the chief. He
went to Tera and explained, eThis is whatfs happening. This is whatfs
happening,f and he became close to the people of Tera. He received the status
of chief with their help. Got it?

The
trial. Hmm. The trial was, Isbou and his followers filed the lawsuit. They saw
to it that the trial would happen. People had gathered and waited until the
trial was over. Those who gathered, they said, eLetfs just make someone a
headman.f Now, [what] the lawsuit [was] it led them to appoint a headman.
Whites came and said, eAppoint a headman [= a delegate]f for the farmland.
These people were going to be in charge of the farmland. Letfs say youfve
caused some trouble at the farmland. Your farmland is there, and mine is here.
Then if [you] broke the dike between our land to drain water out of your
farmland into mine, they [the delegates] will catch you and impose a fine of
5,000 CFA franc on you. They created [the delegates] for that purpose. If you
unleash your livestock and have them eat rice, you will face a 10,000 CFA franc
fine. Or you bring an oxcart to my farmland and leave it there. The flooding
season comes and water inundates farmland like this. Then you pull out your
oxcart, load it, pull it across my farmland, and you destroy ridges in my land.
Then you will get fined. You see? These are what disputes over farmland are
about.

If
you came [from another village] and put a cow into our farmland, you need to go
talk to the delegates. Look, this is what disputes over farmland are all about.
Hmm. Once a dispute breaks out, people take a stick in their hands, or
sometimes a machete. A dispute breaks out, and people die. The story gets out,
the commander comes, and the chief of Dessa comes.

Yes,
he did. Soldiers came, and the military police came. On that day, they actually
captured me. When they came, our chief [the chief of Gaarokoyre] said to them,
he said that the two brothers of the chief, meaning me and J.F. . . . he said
we were to blame for this story [= the dispute]. And thatfs because people
gathered every night at my house. We spent every night together well into the
night before they went home.

Right.
We got together at the time of a night prayer and a meal and talked until three
or four in the morning. Then we went to bed. Thatfs why I was chosen by God and
I took charge of everything. Everyone came to my place. People spent their
night here. So [on the day of the trial], they mentioned it, and he [the chief
of Gaarokoyre] said to capture me. Because people came to my place, I must be
one of the masterminds.

The commander came here. We arranged to meet at Djomona over there.
You can see the house over there, right? That white house. We went over there,
and the commander, the chief of Dessa, and someone from Saay with the highest
status came. This was a very big guy, and he was in charge of all the irrigated
farmland from Saay all the way to our village. Now, they came, and we all
talked. Now, during the conversation, I also stood up and spoke. Then he looked
at the paper and asked me if I was the person. I said that would be me. He said
to a soldier, eCapture him.f

*[laughs] A Soldier came and told me to come. When I did, they were
standing like this. He . . . right. He also told Isbou to talk. He told them to
capture Isbou as well. They said, eCapture Isbou,f and took him to them. And
they told one more person, J.F., to talk as well. One of the children of Adamfs
mother. They told them to capture him, too. When three of us [asked them if we]
were going to Tilabeeri, he said he didnft know.

He
said that at that point he didnft quite understand any of what we were doing.
They said to capture me. They captured me and told me to sit over there. Then
as they continued to talk, a soldier told me to go over there and sit under the
sun. Hm. He wouldnft take back that horrible order. Now, you see? I was
captured, but I didnft go under the sun. I said, eWe did not steal, murder, or
punch anyone. Why would you tell me to sit over there? Itfs ridiculous. You are
just wielding stupid power. I would not go under the sun.f We sat still until
they finished talking. They then told us we could go. They themselves greeted
and left, too. Right. Something like that happened.

Hmm. Then we
gathered to discuss this issue and went home. Then the people on Isboufs side
said they would resister their residency in Tera. They said, eLetfs leave
Tilabeeri. Letfs move out of Gaarokoyrefs paper and join Terafs paper.f We said
to them, eNo. That place is for you. Itfs for those who like Tera. But we, we
are not going to let our village disintegrate. Let me tell you guys. We will
never leave this village, our village.f Only a few stayed. Only our family
remained and still live there. If it had pleased God, we could have found more
friends.

Are
you listening? Gourmantche used to live in Fuliyande. After Gourmantche, itfs
Tuareg that threw Gourmantche out of Fuliyande. They massacred Gourmantche in
Fuliyande. After Tuareg, itfs whites that forced Tuareg out. They got mad and
got rid of Tuareg from Fuliyande. They forced Tuareg out. Are you listening?

Now,
when whites kicked Tuareg out of Fuliyande, thatfs when Gornyo haamey, Isa
Begum, whom you know, and his followers came, and took over Tuareg. They first
took over Tuareg, and they successfully obtained the status of great chief in
Fuliyande, which belonged to Tuareg.

The
chief system began during the era of Tuareg, who was the host of all the
disasters around this region. It was the Gourmantche that were here first. If
you walk around, you will be able to see the remains of their houses on the
islands. Now, Gourmantche, whites came, massacred them, and kicked them all out.
Gourmantche were gone. After Gourmantche were gone, then Tuareg, they started
living here. Now, Tuareg, they and Kurty, and Furbe are all the same. Kurty
took over Tuareg. Tuareg had obtained all of this place. Then Kurty took over
Tuareg. After Tuareg, Kurty [obtained] this place, which Tuareg had obtained.
In those days, there was no chief position. It came later. Right. Then as you
wrote, the chief position was introduced.

I,
uh, your story, the irrigated farmland, the story about the irrigated farmland
. . . The other day, um, not too long ago, you, um, you told me how you got the
farmland where you are currently working.

Because the farmland was flooded with water, we had to work with
half our body soaked in the water at the time of harvesting, and every time we
got some rice crops, we had to get out to leave the crops outside.

Right.
When you replant your crops, you drain water, too. But the water wouldnft
drain. In fact, more water would come in. We would close up the hole, but there
would be another hole. Close it up, and another hole. So after a year, we only
got nine bags of crops.

I
went over and gave them the bags. They, the co-op guys said, they would repair
the canals with cement sometime soon. So I waited for the entire season. When
the next farming season came, I got tired of waiting, so I gave the farmland to
Sourey. I said, eTake it. Ifm done.f Sourey took it. Sourey took it. Then it
got repaired with cement. They repaired the canal. Now the farmland is
well-drained, except if you get too much water; it wonft drain.

Right.
Itfs gotten a little better. But itfs not perfect. Thatfs because water doesnft
drain from the back. Look. Water is overflowing during the harvesting season.
Because it doesnft drain. I left it like that. I let it be, I let it be, and
for three years, I didnft work at the irrigated farmland. I was just planting
pearl millet and growing rice with rain water.

Them?
I donft know the names of those guys who formed an alliance. Hmm. There were
too many people. They tried to get rid of the delegates. The delegates? They
said they were not going to leave. Then the farmland that G.A. and I had, itfs
Abudullahi who has the farmland now, not G.A., but that farmland was taken
away. If you canft pay for the water, they will take away your farmland. You
know that, donft you? At that time, six parcels of farmland in the GMP were
taken away.

Then
I said to Sourey when they were having the dispute, eIf they get farmland, I
want it.f He said, eAll right.f A few days later, when I was sitting here,
Sourey came and asked me if I was joking or I was serious about what I had said
to him. I said, eI would like to get it if possible. Absolutely(Wallahi).f He
said, eAll right.f

Right.
Then he came one day and told me to cultivate Idelisafs farmland, in other
words, the land that was going to be mine. He told me to split it with another
person, E.M. I said, eSure.f I went there. I cultivated a part of the farmland.
Then a few days passed by. On the day of the dispute, on the day when the
commander came and the dispute broke out, I was in Moulaykoyre to work for my
family.

Now,
they came and talked to us. People said they got a part of the farmland, and
the delegates said they also got a part of the farmland. They asked how many
parcels of farmland, and they said six. They said that the guys including
Sourey, who started the coup, take six, I mean, three, the delegates also take
three, and told them to give them to their family. As for me, who was relying
on Sourey and his people, some people [said], eYou should get it.f The
delegates . . . the delegate [said], eTell him he can get it if he wants.f
Thatfs how I got that farmland.

This
is how I got it. I didnft use money or any sort of things to get it. I just got
it. I said to Sourey, eIf you guys get it, I want it,f and he said to me, eAll
right.f Then he came one day and tested me to see if I was just joking or if I
was serious. I said I was absolutely(Wallahi) serious. He said he got it. He then told this to his
people. He told me to go plowing. I said the delegates might not approve. He
said it was not for me to worry about and told me to go plowing. I cultivated
one part of the farmland. Then a dispute broke out. Sourey said to write down
G.A., then they split the farmland and assigned it to me and G.A. Hmm. G.A. got
tired of it, so Abudullahi took over. This is how I came to get my farmland.

No.
Well, you mean, when the farmland was taken away? I went to the delegates and
told them that if farmland gets taken away, I want it. Thatfs what I did. Hmm.
I, too, talked to them, the people who fought with the delegates. Hmm. Donft
you understand?

The
rest of the people were not part of the alliance. Thatfs because it would lead
to a dispute. For example, we said, eLetfs remove the board chair.f I said,
eLetfs remove the board chair.f And K.L. said he wouldnft.

Right.
Those who said, eLetfs remove them,f that group wasnft that big. So it became a
dispute. Right. And those who gave me farmland gave it to me and G.A. They gave
three parcels of farmland to the rest of the people. I forget who, but they
gave them to those people. One part of the farmland was divided by two people.
Now, they said they were not going to condone it. So it became a dispute. The
commander came and said some of the farmland was t-, taken. They said it was
three parcels of farmland that were taken. They said, eAll right. The dispute
is over.f The delegates take three parcels of farmland. The other people donft
say, eDonft take it,f and let it be over. Hmm.

Ha.
I still donft quite understand. In this dispute, letfs see, so some people
wanted to stay in the delegatesf position, and the other side wanted them to
leave. Right? Then they continued to fight, and during the dispute, the
irrigated farmland was divided. Am I right?

Right.
When they told them to leave, they . . . No. Well, when the farmland was taken
away, there were some people who went to those guys who told them to leave, and
these people said they wanted farmland. The other people went to the delegates
and said they wanted farmland, and the delegates gave farmland to them. As for
me, I told Sourey that I wanted farmland. I didnft say that to the delegates at
all. Sourey wasnft a delegate at that time. I didnft say it. I said to Sourey,
eIf you get some farmland, I want it.f He said to me, eAll right.f People like
me talked to their family. Right. Thatfs how they gave me farmland.

They
said, eLetfs change the delegates.f So we went to the chieffs house and told
him that we had replacements. Then we replaced Bouba with Sourey. We replaced
Sandi with Z.T. In Looga, we replaced J.L. with A.H. Hmm.

What
delegates do is, when there is a meeting at the head office, the headmen tell
all the delegates to get together. They say, eWefll discuss what to do, so
come.f In this settlement, itfs B.A. He will come to tell us what was discussed
in the meeting in Djomona. Hm. He says to us, eDo this on this day,f and eThey
do this in that way.f He tells us. And in the irrigated farmland, theyfre the
ones in charge of the water there. If your farmland seems to be in a bad shape,
you tell them and have them look at it. If you want water, but if yours is
closed up, you close up the ones of those who have a lot of water and irrigate
your land. And if you guys are bickering, they decide who is wrong. They let it
go sometimes, and they fine fees at other times. Hmm. Thatfs the type of work
they do at irrigated farmland.

Now,
after staying there, he visited Urufa borey. You see? He found a wife named,
letfs see, Kaabekarey [name of a person]. He married Kaabekarey and this time
decided to stay here in Fuliyande. Thatfs how he came to settle in Fuliyande.
There was no chief system at that time.

:I
said there was no chief system at that time. Hmm. Now, thatfs the kind of time
when he settled here and got married. You see? Until that time came . . . well,
until whites introduced the position of chief. You see? * [to K.L.] Am I on the
right track?

Good,
good. Thatfs right. Now, he stayed, got married, and came to Fuliyande. He came
to Fuliyande and settled in Gornyogoula. You see? He was there, he was there,
and . . . letfs see, he had ten children. Isa, letfs see, what was his name?
Hiri. And that one, Sandaari, and then . . .